The Last Place You'd Look
by MyCurrentObsession
Summary: PokeSpe AU. Yellow, a college sophomore smitten with junior Red, bumps into freshman Gold one day. He's having relationship trouble with his girlfriend Crys, so she offers to help. Meanwhile, Red and Blue have and odd bet going on... Full summary inside.
1. Chance Encounter and General Chaos

AN- My newest fic, this is dedicated to any and all Ambershipping fans. The pairing is far too under loved, I think. Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned PokeSpe, the pairings would be Luckyshipping, MagmaJewelshipping, ect. Clearly, I own nothing.

Summary- Yellow is a college sophomore just trying to get through school. Oh, and she's completely head over heels in love with Red, a junior. One fateful day, she runs into freshman Gold, who's currently having relationship problems with his two-year girlfriend Crys. Yellow, being the sweetheart she is, decides to help by acting as a councilor of sorts. But when Red breaks her heart (albeit as nicely as possible), Gold turns things around and helps _her _out, instead of the other way around. Slowly, some sparks begin to develop… Meanwhile, Red and Blue (the girl) have a bet going on: that if Blue can last for over a month without gossiping or meddling in anyone's relationships, Red will give her $50. However, this bet ends up having the two in close contact a lot, and things start heating up…

Pairings- eventual Ambershipping (_duh_), eventual Luckyshipping, one-sided Specialshipping, and MangaQuestshipping in the beginning. Implied Gracefulshipping and Franticshipping to come. Oh, and a hint of almost every heterosexual Yellow pairing you can think of here and there.

* * *

**Chance Encounter and General Chaos**

Yellow De Viridian Grove (what a mouthful) sighed. Life… was not good. Not when she'd overslept (why hadn't Blue woken her up???) and was now going to be late to class. And there was a _test _today! If she didn't make it on time, she'd automatically fail!

She hurried through campus towards her history class as fast as possible, but knew her tardiness was inevitable. Clutching her books and papers to her chest, she heaved another sigh. Nothing could save her now.

"Look out!" She had just enough time to swivel around and see what the commotion was about before a boy on a skateboard came crashing into her, sending both of them toppling to the ground. The boy picked himself up quickly, grabbing his stuff in the process. He looked down at Yellow below him and sighed, offering her a hand up, which she accepted. "Geez, kid, you really need to be more careful…"

Yellow felt the heat rising to her cheeks at that. Really, just because he was a bit taller, it didn't give him the right to assume such things. "I-I'm not a kid! I'm a sophomore here!"

The boy gawked for a moment, golden eyes expressing his shock. "Seriously?!"

Yellow pouted. "Yes. I know I'm short, but you're just jumping to conclusions. What does it matter how old I am, anyway, considering you almost ran me over?"

He held his hands up in defense. "Uh… it's nothing. Just didn't expect you to be older than me, is all. And sorry about that. Here, let me get your things…"

While he bent down to gather her scattered books, Yellow once again realized her predicament. Her eyes widened. "Ah!!! I'm gonna be late for class! There's no way I can make it on time to take the test now! Oh man, I'm gonna _fail_!"

She freaked, whipping her head in all directions and wringing her hands anxiously. She'd never failed anything before, see. She was a straight A student. She was even in AP classes along with all of her older friends! The boy watched her through raised eyebrows before finally butting in, "Hey, stop with the theatrics already. God, you're worse than my girlfriend…" Yellow stopped to glare at him- or as close to a glare as she could get, considering Yellow was too nice to actually do anything like _glare_. He rolled his eyes in response. "…Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you late. Maybe…" he paused to grab his skateboard, offering it out to her before continuing, "…you can make it on time if you use this?"

Yellow stared. "What? Use your skateboard? Um… Thanks for the offer, really, but I don't know _how _to skateboard, so it wouldn't get me very far."

He waved her off. "That's no problem! Your class is…" He stopped to look at her books and then at the surrounding area. "…just down that hill and then it's a straight course, right?" She looked at him quizzically before nodding. He smiled and lead her over near the edge of the aforementioned hill. "Great! Then all you have to do is get on…"

She got on obediently, but then looked back at him. "But wait, won't you be late to class, then?"

He shrugged in response. "It's fine, really. I don't care about being late like you obviously do, and besides, I've got a friend who'll cover for me."

Yellow nodded. "Alright then, if you're okay with this… What now?"

He grinned, golden eyes glinting. "Now…" He looked between her and her destination a few times, seemingly calculating something in his mind. Before Yellow had a chance to ask what, he pushed her on the back and shoved the skateboard forward with one foot. "…Now, you have a nice trip!" And then she was flying. And screaming. At the top of her lungs. The boy shouted down at her while she shrieked. "Hey, make sure not to do anything to that skateboard! I'm gonna want it back if we ever meet again!"

This boy, Yellow decided, as she went screaming and careening down the hill towards the correct building, was insane.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the very building Yellow was heading towards, an uncomfortable silence had fallen over the class. They were only minutes away from the test, and the smart people were currently sticking their noses in their books, trying desperately at last minute memorization.

In most classes, this would be the time in which to fool around and chat with friends, but not in this class. It was a well-known fact that Lance, the teacher, made tests _extremely_ hard. No one knew _why _he made such difficult exams, but most just guessed that he hated people- or maybe just them.

Lance was one of those teachers who was too young for his students to be able to seriously call him a professor, but far too strict for them to get away with just calling him by name. Most people had just started refraining from ever speaking his name, which he seemed just fine with. It was speculated that you'd be forever doomed if you didn't pass his class, though, so anyone and everyone studied fervently.

A junior boy with jet black hair and mahogany eyes known as Red, however, couldn't care less about the test at the time- he'd studied last night, anyway. He leaned over to a girl with long brunette hair and sea blue eyes in the desk beside him. "Hey, Blue, where's Yellow?" He whispered quietly, trying not to attract Lance's attention.

The aforementioned girl sighed before closing the book she'd been halfheartedly looking over, turning her full attention to him. "…She's probably on her way here. Hopefully." Red raised an eyebrow, urging her on. "Well, I guess it's kind of my fault, really. She stayed up really late last night studying, so after she slept through her alarm clock I decided to just let her sleep. I was going to set it for her before I left so she'd still wake up in time, but I must have forgotten!"

She'd gotten louder and louder throughout her explanation, and now many eyes were on them. Red glanced around and sighed. He should have known better than to ask. After all, Blue only had one volume, and it was permanently set to 'attract attention', which, in normal speak, meant _loud_.

Oh, god. Lance was giving them his patented evil eye. Oh, double god! Lance was walking their way! Red froze, but Blue kept talking, oblivious to the looming danger. "…But she's never, _ever_, even on weekends, slept past 7:30, so, she should be here any minute! Hopefully…"

Lance stopped beside Red and cleared his throat. When Blue still kept ranting on, Red elbowed her gently. She whipped her head around quickly, about to snap at him, but the words died in her throat upon seeing their teacher glaring death at her.

Lance smiled, but if you asked Blue, she'd tell you it was a smile of pure evil- and she'd probably be right. "Thank you, Miss _Chatty_, for finally shutting up. Now, am I correct in assuming from what you've just told the _whole class _that it is _your _fault that your roommate, who is the only one yet to have not missed even one day of class, is late?"

Blue gulped, turning red. "Well…"

Lance's glare probably single-handedly stopped global warming. "_Did _you or _didn't _you? It's a simple question, really. But be aware that if it _is _your fault, then miss Grove will _fail _because of you. Can you handle the consequences of your forgetfulness?"

Now, it's well known that Lance doesn't get along with his students. It's been rumored that he has just the smallest soft spot for the meek and quiet ones (like Yellow), just because they don't annoy him as much. Judging by his vicious treatment on Blue, easily the most talkative person in class, those rumors were well on their way to becoming _facts_.

But Blue wasn't one to let herself be verbally abused, and certainly not by some _teacher_. She snapped her head up in defiance. "Hey, you know what?! It's just as much your fault as mine that she's not here, jerk! She stayed up past _midnight _studying for _your _test just so she'd be able to get a good grade! _I _let her sleep in out of kindness, but what excuse do _you _have for your overly hard tests, huh?!" The moment the words were out of her mouth, Blue slapped her hands over the appendage, as if she could take them back. She wasn't one to sit still, but she was currently frozen to her seat from the look Lance was giving her.

Red, beside her, just gawked before whispering, "You fool! You've just sealed your fate, Blue!"

Before Lance had the chance to tell her of the punishment she'd be receiving for her outburst -detention for the rest of the year, if she got off lucky- he perked slightly at a faint noise. He had very sensitive hearing, see. It made it easier to catch people mouthing off and properly punish them. The sound wasn't one he recognized immediately, but it grew louder and louder, indicating whatever was making said noise was swift approaching. Finally, he realized what it was. "Is that… screaming?"

Blue, thankful to be let off the hook for time being, shut her eyes -and mouth- and focused on the faint sound. "…Sounds like it to me. And it's getting closer!"

Red glanced at Blue, biting his lip. "You don't think…?"

Green, and friend of Red, Blue, and Yellow's who, up until now, had remained quiet and watchful, rose from his seat, emerald eyes glinting. "That's Yellow!"

Red and Blue went to get up as well, but Lance ushered the three back into their seats. He walked over to the door and opened it slowly, peering through the opening curiously. Sure enough, there was the girl in question, approaching at a fast rate, arms flailing, screaming at the top of her- wait . Was that a _skateboard _she was riding?

Seeing Lance in the doorway, Yellow shouted, "Look out!" Of course, it was too late. Having not nearly enough time to get out of the way, Lance braced himself for the impact. Now, he may be a good two feet taller than Yellow, but she had force and velocity on her side, while all he had was his stature.

The resounding collision was heard three buildings over, where the students all looked up from their laptops in confusion before quickly going back to work. And the injuries from said collision? One fully grown man (Lance) sent reeling back, clutching his chest -the point of impact- and one young girl (Yellow) sent toppling in the opposite direction, rubbing her much-abused nose.

When Yellow finally stood up and dusted herself off, whimpering in pain while she was at it, she looked up to see a dark figure towering over her.

Lance glared harshly at her, and she stiffened. "P-professor! I, uh… I'm really sorry I'm late! I slept through my alarm clock accidentally, and then was rushing here as fast as I could, but then I crashed into some guy -well, he crashed into me, really- and he offered me his skateboard so I got here as fast as I could, and…" she trailed off, bowing her head. "…I'm really, _really _sorry."

Lance stared at her for a moment before sighing and turning away, still rubbing his chest lightly. "…Get in your seat, miss Grove. You made it just in time."

Said girl beamed and grabbed the skateboard before rushing to her seat. Beside her, Blue huffed. "That's all he's going to do? You crash into him and he tells you to get in your seat? That is favoritism right there!"

Green crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather she got in trouble because _you _made her late?"

Blue froze lightly at that. "Well…"

Not wanting to cause conflict, Yellow interceded. "It's okay, Blue. I'm sure you didn't mean to make me late for any reason."

The brunette smiled. "Thanks, Yellow. I was really just trying to do you a favor and let you sleep in, but it kinda backfired. So how about…" she paused to pull a brush out of her bag and then continued, "…I fix your hair? Windblown is _not _in." Yellow giggled and nodded, and so Blue began to carefully brush out the blonde's hair.

Lance turned from where he'd been writing on the board to glare at them. "Do you two really think that's the proper way to spend your time right before a test? Especially considering you barely escaped _detention_?"

The girls quickly separated, Yellow whispering that she'd just pull her hair up in a ponytail for today, and Blue staring at Lance in shock. She turned to Red. "I've escaped from yelling at him unscathed?"

The boy pondered it over for a minute before formulating his response. "Well, when you think about it, having you serve detention means he'd have to spend more time with you, which he doesn't want, see? Lance _dislikes _you so much that he refuses to spend extra time with you, so you're immune to his punishment, in a way."

Blue celebrated quietly as Red watched her and chuckled-quietly of course. Green leaned towards Yellow. "Hey. Since when have you known how to skateboard?"

The girl turned her attention to him. "Huh? Oh, I don't know, really. The guy I crashed into let me borrow it from him and then pushed me down the hill towards this building."

Green narrowed his eyes. "Is he crazy? Doesn't he know you could've gotten hurt? What's this guy's name, Yellow?"

She stared at him, perplexed. "It's okay, Green. I'm _not _hurt. As for his name…" she tensed as realization dawned upon her. "…Oh, no! I never asked for his name! I don't know anything about him! How am I supposed to return his skateboard to him now?!"

The boy sighed. "…That's completely beside the point…"

From the front of the room, Lance yelled. "Quiet, all of you! The tests… are out."

* * *

AN- …And that's it for chapter one! Tell me what you think, please. I'm just not sure about this fic, yet... Oh, and I'm still in high school, so I've got NO IDEA how college works. If anyone reading this is in college, would you mind giving me a few pointers? Thank you in advance!


	2. The Bet

AN- Hello, all and welcome, to another installment of _The Last Place You'd Look_. Sorry for the wait! Thanks to all my reviewers and, before I forget, I give full credit for the title of this fic to my friend Marty. Or, as he's known here, Terry Mcginnis Wayne. Without him, this fic's title would _suck_ (much like the chapter titles do). And one last thing: I'm changing _humor _genre to _general, _because while I intend for this fic to be funny, there's too much of everything else (like in this chapter, a little drama and angst towards the end) for it to be specifically _romance/humor_. I hope no one minds too much. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. *pout*

**Warning**: This chapter contains some implied one-sided Grantedshipping (Lance/Yellow), just so you know, folks. The end pairings are still the same, but I had to add it in, because I: 1- love Grantedshipping, and 2- needed it for parts of Blue's gossiping (meaning; it's part of how 'the bet' happens)

Edit: Apparantly, not only did I make a horrible chapter (that's what I think, anyway), but it was also full of grammatical errors! *gasp* I've fixed what I've been told about. In fact, I completely revamped the second half, so hopefully, the end result is much better. I even added footnotes this time!*sigh* This is what happens when I try to rush through a chapter...

* * *

**The Bet**

"Man, wasn't that exam way too hard?"

It was to this line that four colorfully-named friends walked into the cafeteria for lunch later that day. Even though the test had ended a few hours ago, it was still all anyone could think about.

"I mean…" Red paused in his ranting to order his lunch before continuing, "…I even studied for over two hours last night, and I still don't know if I passed!"

Handling her spaghetti in one hand, and her dressing-drenched salad in her other, Blue retorted, "If you think _you _did bad, what about _me_? I hardly even _studied_!"

"And whose fault is that?" Green deadpanned.

Arriving at their usual table, the group set down their array of food while Blue glared at the emerald-eyed boy. "Well, _excuse _me if I don't want to waste my life away doing something as _boring _as studying!" When she realized the boy was ignoring her in favor of his food, she huffed.

Seeing this, Red rolled his eyes and turned to the youngest of the four. "How do you think you did, Yellow?"

The girl in question, who had previously been absentmindedly twirling her spoon in her applesauce, mind elsewhere, tensed, blushing lightly. "Huh? Oh, um…" Yellow had never really been comfortable with being in the spotlight, especially when it was _Red _whom she was talking to. "…I think I passed, but… I really don't know. The professor (1) makes really hard tests! Uh… how do you think you did, Green?"

The brunette just shrugged in response. He didn't really think his friends would like to hear that not only had he _not _studied, he'd also found the test to be quite simple.

However, at the blonde's words, Blue had perked up. "Yes, speaking of the _professor_, wasn't he _awfully _nice to you this morning?"

The other girl blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Blue rolled her eyes. "Dear, sweet, _naïve _little Yellow, what I'm saying is-"

Catching on to the girl's implications, Red interrupted, "What she _means_, is that he just… kind of favors you, is all."

The blonde tilted her head, now even more perplexed. "Are you sure? I mean, he treats everyone fine, as long as they're respectful towards him."

The older girl snorted in a rather unladylike manner. "Yeah, right! He is a devil in human form, and the only one he treats _nicely _is _you_! You want to know why?"

Yellow still seemed baffled, and Red looked about ready to butt in again, but surprisingly, it was Green who spoke next. "He's not all that bad if you catch him out of class."

There was a collective "Huh?" from the other three at that.

The boy sighed. "I mean, in class, everyone's loud and it annoys him. But _outside_ of class, he's a lot more mellow."

"How do you know?" Red asked.

"Well, one time Miss Winona asked me to go to the library and get a book for her just before class, and I met Lance in there reading. We talked for a few minutes and then I headed back to class. But that day in the library, he seemed more like a regular person, calm and relaxed. Content, even."

The two eldest of the group pondered over this information for a few moments, and Yellow smiled. "See? I told you the professor was a nice person! I don't know what you two were thinking when you said he _favored _me. He's nice to everybody, when they're nice back."

In response, Blue rolled her eyes again, still disbelieving. Red just smiled lightly, eyes shut in a seemingly friendly manner. Green just went back to eating, trying to ignore the tension he could feel building between the two eldest.

Oblivious as always, Yellow finished her petite meal quickly before standing up and grabbing the skateboard from earlier that morning that she'd stashed by her feet. "Well, I'm going to and try to find the owner of this skateboard, okay? I'll see you later!" Her three friends smiled lightly, and with that, the girl was gone.

The remaining girl at the table waited a moment before letting the smile drop from her face and turning to the boy on her left. "Red."

The boy in question cringed slightly before setting down his half-finished pizza slice and turning to her, feigning ignorance. "Yes?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't trying to tell Yellow that Lance _favors _her, you know."

The mahogany-eyed boy sighed and gave up on eating the rest of his meal- Blue would probably spend the rest of lunch telling him off. He sighed, but tried to remain calm. "Yeah, I _do_ know, Blue. But I _also _know that what you _were_ trying to tell her is completely ridiculous."

The girl crossed her arms, sea-blue eyes glinting dangerously. "Oh really?"

"Yes, _really_. I mean, he's like ten years older than her! How can you even _think _of something like that?"

The brunette grit her teeth. He could be so _stupid _sometimes, and whenever she tried to help him, he thought _she _was the stupid one! Sometimes, he just... made her so mad. He'd never understand her, apparantly. "Yes, because he's ten years older than her, he _can't _like her. Yeah, right! Age difference doesn't affect how people feel, stupid! How dumb can you get?!"

Red glared, losing his cool no matter how hard he was trying not to. "I'm not stupid, I just don't have such a dirty mind as to think that our _teacher _would like Yellow, a _student_. That's just wrong, Blue! Seriously, how can you even _think _that?"

Blue slammed her hands down on the table furiously, causing a quite a few people to look their way warily. "I can _think _that, Red, because I'm not still idiotically _naïve _like you and Yellow are. I'm not saying for certain that he likes her, I'm just saying it's a _possibility_! You _must_ have noticed it by now! He treats her specially! And _don't _say it's because he favors her. He prefers _all _the shy people to everyone else, but he's even nicer still to her _specifically_. Do you have a better explanation for his actions, Red? Do you?"

The boy in question looked around uncertainly, just a _tad _scared at her outburst. "Well… that's because… Ugh! I don't know, okay? But I won't believe that he _likes _her. That's just disgusting!" Blue huffed and looked about ready to give him another piece of her mind, so he hurried on, "What do you think, Green?"

Until now, the emerald-eyed boy had just been a quiet spectator, and he didn't really desire to get pulled into the fight, so he just shrugged. After all, he couldn't really remain neutral in a case like this, and agreeing with one of the two would anger the other. He didn't want to get involved.

Blue rolled her eyes, her irritation coming off in every word. "Well, that's helpful."

Red grinned. "I bet he agrees with me, but doesn't want to say so and make you feel bad."

In truth, the boy had it opposite. Green had, for quite some time, been watching their professor carefully as to ascertain what his intentions were and why he treated Yellow the way he did. And while the boy thought Lance to be an okay person, he still didn't completely trust the man with the blonde whom he tried so hard to look after.

He just wasn't about to go and inflate Blue's ego by telling her that.

Blue had almost reached her boiling point. "Ugh! Why won't you _believe _me?"

"Because it's always been like this! Ever since I met you, all you've _ever _talked about is peoples' _relationships _and _feelings_. Like this," Red paused, clearing his throat before striking a rather feminine pose and speaking in a high pitched tone clearly meant to sound like Blue, "Hey guys, guess what? Brock has a crush on Misty! Can you _believe _it?! Well, actually, I knew it all along..."

Scratch that. Blue had officially gone far _beyond _her boiling point. The angry waves coming off her now were melting the ice caps faster than Global Warming _ever _had.

The black haired boy practically smirked at her rather violent and shaking display of rage, continuing, "Hey you guys, you'll never guess what I just found out: Ruby and Sapphire, our young friends? Oh, you know who they are, stupid; we babysat them, _remember_? Anyway, like I was saying... They totally like each other, but are too stupid and _stubborn_ to admit it!"

The blue-eyed girl butted in, "That one is _true_, you know."

Red exhaled loudly in annoyance, but otherwise ignored her. He continued on with the one that, in his mind, really just took the cake. "Red, guess what? Misty totally has this huge crush on you! I just found out, she's liked you for _years_! I mean, I've always suspected it, but-"

"She _does_ have a crush on you, stupid!"

The boy turned an odd shade of maroon. "No, she doesn't!" he screeched.

He stopped in his protests for a moment to blink. His voice still sounded squeaky and girly, and he wasn't going to argue with anybody sounding like _that_. He cleared his throat and tried again, ignoring his two friends' raised eyebrows. "No, she doesn't."

Blue rolled her eyes and whispered something that sounded like _denial, _trying to contain her anger.

Red sighed. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep talking. Pretending to be the girl to his right had hurt his throat like hell. "The point is, Blue, that's all you ever do, is gossip, gossip, _gossip_ about _who likes who _and who's making up or breaking up, and the like."

By this point in time, Blue had gone from being filled with violent rage, to being seriously upset. Gossiping is just part of what makes her _her_, so why couldn't he accept it? Why couldn't he ever seem to accept _her_? "So what?"

"_So_, why can't you just let those people be? Their relationships and feelings aren't for you to know or mess with."

"…I don't hurt anyone with my gossiping."

The boy sighed, running out of steam, but determined to get his message across. "_Yes_, you do, Blue, you're just so caught up in it all that you don't even _realize _it!"

Blue lowered her head. Did he even _realize_ how much his words _stung_? "…I only gossip 'cause it's fun. I could stop if I wanted to."

"Yeah, right! You couldn't stop if you _tried_! You couldn't even…" he trailed off, seeing her whip her head up to glare at him. Whoa. Where those _tears _pricking at her eyes?

…No way. They couldn't be. He had to be hallucinating. After all, Blue never cried.

Her words caught him off guard. "Wanna bet?"

He blinked dumbly. "What?"

She stood up quickly. "I said, do you want to bet?"

Red stared at her uncertainly. "…What did you have in mind?"

Her sea-blue eyes stared into his mahogany ones with a determination he'd never seen elsewhere, all traces of sadness lost. "I bet I can last over a whole month without saying one thing about peoples' relationships."

Despite himself, Red agreed. "What are we betting?"

For the first time in over twenty minutes, Blue smiled. "Money, of course. What else?"

The boy felt his stomach drop. If they were betting money, then it was serious. Not to mention, Blue would do almost _anything _for money, so this could get ugly… "How much?"

Now, the girl's smile turned evil. "Winner gets fifty bucks."

Red gaped openly. "_Fifty bucks_?! No way! I don't have that kind of money!"

The glare she pinned him with shut him up quickly. He gulped. She may not be upset anymore, but she was _definitely_ angry! "Too late. You already agreed. I win if I succeed in going a whole month without gossiping. You win if I fail."

A tad more confident, the boy spoke, "Okay, so I just have to wait for you to inevitably mess up and gossip? Fine by me, I get a free fifty bucks!"

The girl resisted the urge to slap him and instead dug into her purse for her wallet, and then pulled out a fifty dollar bill.

Red couldn't help but gawk. "You carry over fifty dollars around with you?"

Blue smirked. "Sure. I carry over half of my life _savings _around with me, numbskull! I'd rather a thief have to go through _me_, instead of just having to go through my _house_."

Both boys couldn't help but stare at the girl in awe. Only Blue would think of things _that _way. Of course, in truth, they knew she was kind of right. She'd probably manage to beat any robber's ass if they tried to get her precious money...

Seeing their confounded expressions, the girl smirked and turned back to Red. "What, you _don't _carry over fifty dollars on hand?" Her answer was a violent shake of the head accompanied by a _Hell, no. _"Write a check, then."

He blinked. "_Now_?"

"Yes, now!"

Deciding going against her probably wasn't a good idea (Blue could get violent when she didn't get her way), Red sighed and did as he was told, handing over the check forlornly.

Blue immediately shoved both the check and the bill into an unsuspecting Green's face. He blinked at the papers for a moment before glaring at the girl. "Why give them to me?"

"Because you're a neutral party in the bet, and you're good at keeping track of money. Duh."

The emerald-eyed boy sighed, but, much like Red, knew better than to disobey. He became one hundred dollars richer with one swipe of the hand.

With that issue settled, Blue turned once more to Red. "I'm going to win."

Red just rolled his eyes. He was already planning on what to buy with Blue's fifty bucks.

Seeing that he wasn't really paying attention, the brunette scowled. "I _mean _it, Red. I'll show you that there's more to me than just gossiping, no matter how much that may be a part of me. And after I've won, I'll spend the next day doing nothing _but _gossiping to you, just to torment you."

The black-haired boy looked up, bafflement written clearly on his face. "Blue, what do you mean, 'you'll show me there's more to you than just gossiping'? I know that, it's just…" he trailed off, noticing that she'd stormed off after what she'd said last, not even bothering to dump her hardly-touched tray. He watched her retreating figure in confusion, wondering if he'd said something that seriously upset her, but before he had a chance to turn to Green and ask about it, the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

Red sighed and spared his tray a glance. He'd been right, after all. He never even got to finish his slice of pizza. "Thanks, Blue," he murmured sarcastically. "Now I'm going to be starving later on."

He considered leaving her tray on the table and letting her get chewed out for it later. He really did.

Still, he was a benevolent person at heart, so he had to do the right thing. He handed his and Blue's trays to the staff person in charge of washing them and scanned the area for Green. Seeing no sign of him, Red assumed he'd gone ahead to class, and hurried along, as well, thinking he'd ponder the girl's odd behavior over later. No sense in being hungry _and _late.

* * *

After lunch, Green only had one class left: Dinosaur Biology. It was an impeccably boring subject, he thought, and he often wondered why he'd ever wanted to take it. After all, who cared about creatures of the past? He'd rather know what kind of creatures he'd see in the future.

Either way, Dino Bio was quite easy, and often he could get away with not paying attention at all and be okay. Having already finished the assignment they'd been handed at the start of class, he was left to think of the occurrences that had transpired at lunch.

It wasn't unlike Red and Blue to make bets, but something about this one struck him as different.

First off, the amount of money was unusually high. In all the other bets the two had had, they'd never passed fifteen dollars.

Second, the two were taking this bet in particular far too seriously, especially Blue. Having been middleman for the two's bets before, Green knew that normally the bets were accompanied by playful banter and jokes, not the stiff awkwardness in the cafeteria. It had seemed at one point that Red had tried to distill the bad air growing between the two, but to no avail. Not to mention, the subject of this bet seemed far too cutting. At one point, the boy could have _sworn _he'd seen Blue shaking, near tears. He also knew that Red had seen this as well, but probably didn't believe it. Never once, in all the years the three had known each other, had Blue cried. It was practically a rule by now.

_Blue **never **cries_.

The third and final thing bugging the brunette about the bet was something the girl had said: _I'll show you there's more to me than just gossiping, no matter how much that may be a part of me_. Much to his dismay sometimes, Green knew Blue better than anyone else. While the two fought often, whenever she wanted to talk about something serious, she would go to him. One time, when he'd asked her why, she had smiled and told him it was because he was the best listener.

Green knew that the comment at lunch wasn't the kind of thing she'd say. Even with her friends, that girl didn't particularly care what _anyone _thought of her, so why had she been so upset by Red's words?

_Unless… _A thought struck him, and the boy couldn't help but ponder it over carefully. After a few minutes, he admitted to himself that the thought wasn't _too _far-fetched. In fact, he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it earlier.

Despite what Blue thought, Green really _was _the most observant of their group of friends, and he may have just discovered one of her most well-kept secrets, assuming she even knew of it, herself, which, taking her personality into account, was unlikely.

With the new knowledge on hand, Green could only think one thing: _This bet is sure to be interesting…_

* * *

AN-I'll be honest with you all: I HATE THIS CHAPTER. I think I wrote it horribly, and can't wait to get back to Yellow next chapter, because I think I'll do better with her and Gold than I'll _ever _do with Red and Blue. So… yeah. As always, reviews are appreciated. Tell me whether you like it, love it, hate it (if this is the case, please explain in a _calm manner_ why), whatever. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Until next time~!

(1)- Okay, so, if you'll all recall, in chapter one, it was mentioned that no one could easily bring themselves to call Lance 'professor' due to his age, but Yellow does so easily. That's just taking her nature into account, naturally. To her, it's simple: He's the teacher, and should be addressed as such (her world is so simple, no?). However, in this chapter, when Blue calls him a professor, it's more out of mockery than anything else (hence the italics).


	3. Not A Healthy Relationship

AN- As always, hello and welcome, to the latest addition to _The Last Place You'd Look_. In today's installment, we're going back to Yellow in her quest to find the boy whose skateboard she still has (AKA Gold). But I won't hold you all up long here when all you really wanna do is get to the story. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Warning: It's nothing much, but there is a cuss word or two and a bit of crude language. But hey, the story IS rated T, so you all should kind of expect this.

* * *

**Not a Healthy Relationship**

At around the same time a certain emerald-eyed boy was making rather _accurate _assumptions about his longtime blue-eyed friend in the middle of a class he couldn't care less about, Yellow was meandering through campus. She had gone to the freshman dorms in an attempt to find the golden-eyed boy from earlier that morning, remembering his comment on how she was older than him when she'd told him she was a sophomore.

Unfortunately, she lacked the courage to actually go into any of the dorm buildings and ask about the boy, so instead she wasted her time wandering the area, hopeful that he might be outside.

All her searching was in vain, however. No matter how hard she looked, Yellow couldn't find the boy anywhere.

It was only when the bell rang that she realized with a start that she had completely lost track of time.

For the first time that day, the blonde considered herself lucky- her escaping from slamming into Lance earlier was merely a show of his kindness. Today was Thursday, so she didn't have any classes after lunch, thankfully. Her friends all thought her insane for preferring morning classes over afternoon ones, but that was just the way she was.

Still, except for the dorms that she couldn't bring herself to go into, she had scoured the whole freshman area. She wasn't a quitter, but it was clearly time to throw in the towel for today. Gripping the skateboard tightly, Yellow sighed and began the trek back to her own dorm. The girl briefly entertained the thought that maybe she _had _seen the boy and just hadn't recognized him, as she really couldn't remember much about what he looked like.

The blonde bit her lip and tried to recall the boy's image. _Let's see… um, he rode a skateboard… which I now have. That won't help! Come on, Yellow! What did he look like?_

The girl quickly realized that remembering what the boy looked like would be no easy feat, so she sat down on a bench about halfway to her dorm so she could give the problem her full attention. _Well, he was taller than me. Can't forget that! And he had a hat on, right? And it was backwards, so his black bangs were spiking out the front. And his eyes… _This was the one trait the girl was positive she wouldn't be forgetting. _His eyes were such an unusual shade… I've never seen the color before in anyone's eyes. Such a beautiful shade of gold…_

Yellow smiled, feeling quite triumphant in recalling the boy's basic details. Hopefully now she'd recognize him for sure the next time she saw him.

"Hey, did you hear?"

At the sound of another voice, she looked up to see two tall guys leaning against the broad oak tree not too far away chatting.

The blonde boy who'd spoken before continued. "Apparently, there's some sort of fight going on down by the freshman dorms."

The blue-black haired boy beside him sighed. "What, those two _again_? Don't they ever give it a rest?"

His friend looked at him, perplexed. "What, you know what's going on?"

The boy in question flipped some of his hair to the side so it didn't cover his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Every couple of weeks these two freshman get into this huge fight. I hear it can get pretty violent, actually. They like to take their _lover's quarrels _to a whole new level."

The blonde chuckled before straightening. "Come on. We've got to tell this to Eusine. I'm sure he'll think it's _hilarious_." The other boy nodded, and they headed off towards the senior dorm, leaving behind a baffled Yellow.

The girl cocked her head to the side, pondering over the information. _There are two fighting freshman back there? I hope it's not anything too serious… Maybe I should just check it out. But then again, it's not really my business… _The girl debated for a few minutes before standing up and grabbing the skateboard, a determined look in her eyes.

She headed for the freshman dorms.

* * *

Arriving on the scene five minutes later, the blonde skidded to a halt and tried to see over the heads of the small crowd that had gathered around the two quarreling. Freshman or not, most everyone around was _still _taller than her. Yellow sighed. It's not easy being short.

The second tactic the girl thought of was to try and make her way through the crowd so she could see better. This went over much better, and she found herself at the very front of the crowd. Unfortunately, her placement still wasn't very good. She was almost directly behind the boy, so she couldn't see anything except his back. Yellow edged sideways a little, so that, while she still couldn't see the boy's face, she had a clear visual of the girl a little ways away.

Her most noticeable trait was easily her blue-black hair, which mostly spiked out in two low pigtails- though admittedly, her hot pink shorts stood out quite a bit, too. Boy, were they _short_! With shorts like those on, the girl was almost all long, tan legs with a head of hair attached. Despite the situation, the blonde herself could _feel _the lustful gazes of boys in the crowd eyeing the girl.

Yellow shook the thoughts away and went back to looking at the girl's face. Her plump lips were pressed together in a thin line, and her button nose was scrunched in anger. Her crystalline blue eyes shone like diamonds- they were hard and piercing like them, too! Her dangling star earrings were completely motionless. The girl herself was quite still, actually. The only part of her body moving at all were her trembling fists, which were clenched tightly as if she were restraining herself. In short -god, those _shorts!_- the girl was really freaking _mad_.

A girl not to far away leaned over, pink hair falling in her face, and whispered to her friend, "You think she's almost reached that _point_?"

The other girl turned to her friend and- _wait. _Yellow blinked. _Is that a __**guy?! **_He was, indeed. The effeminate boy seemed to be waiting patiently for something. _For what? _He spoke to his friend softly, lavender hair framing his face in an unnervingly feminine way. "Not yet. Just wait." _Wait for what?_

To say that Yellow was confused would be an understatement. All around her, she could hear murmurs of anticipation, as if they all knew what was coming, and were eagerly awaiting it. She was glancing around nervously when a voice drew her attention back to the feuding couple.

The boy, though she couldn't see his face, was clearly just as angry as the girl. "Good riddance, I say! Who needs you and your high maintenance ways, anyway?!"

The girl, in response, narrowed her eyes and pinned him with a deadly glare before bending down to pick something up. Yellow squinted and saw that it was a rock.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the womanly boy grin to his friend. "This is it!"

A sense of foreboding washed over the blonde as the short-shorts wearing girl grit her teeth and screamed, "Gold, you jerk!" Then she chucked the rock at him with all her might- and _man, _did that thing fly. It had to be going like eighty miles an hour!

The boy, Gold, the girl had called him, had not nearly enough time to escape, and pronounced it quite clearly with a shout of, "Oh, shit!" Then the rock made contact with his skull, and he crumpled to the ground, clutching his head tightly.

Satisfied with her handiwork, the girl stormed off quickly, while all around the audience went wild. Shouts of, "He deserved it! The idiot shouldn't have antagonized her!" and "Hey, man! At least she didn't kick you in the balls this time!" filled the air.

Yellow was, of course, appalled. _They were waiting for __**this?! **__What horrible people! _The crowd died down in a matter of minutes, though, and the blonde quickly rushed up to check on the boy still grasping his head in pain. "Are you okay?!"

Gold winced at her high volume before bringing his head up, a good-natured grin on his face- he kept his eyes shut, though. It was bright out, and his head already hurt like hell. "Yeah, I'm fine. My skull's probably cracked and I'm bleeding, but I'll live."

Yellow frowned, worried, but let it go. "I can't believe your girlfriend did that to you."

The boy barked out a laugh. "Are you kidding me?! This is one of Crys' _less _violent breakups!"

The girl couldn't help but gawk. "Are you serious?! And you _let _her do this to you?!"

Gold waved her off, annoyed. That high-pitched screaming of hers was giving him a migraine. Still, something about it seemed vaguely familiar… "It's fine, really. She's gonna come back in a couple hours and apologize for it, anyway. She always does."

The blonde bit her lip. For some reason, she felt like she knew him… "And then?"

The black-haired boy sighed, wishing he hadn't taken his hat off earlier when he was taking a nap at the dorm. The sun was _killing _him. "And _then, _we get back together and go on our merry way until the _next _time we fight."

Yellow frowned. "Why?"

The boy gave her a confused look- or, he tried to, but he still had his eyes closed, so it was kinda hard to convey his thoughts outside of actually _saying _them. "What do you mean, why?"

The girl clutched the skateboard to her chest and spoke, "I mean, why do you continue going out with someone who you always fight with? _Especially _when it gets violent? I mean, I know it's not really my business, but I also know that you guys do _not _have a healthy relationship!"

Gold frowned. Who was this random chick to tell him how to handle his relationships? "Look, my relationship with Crys is fine. I've been dating her for _two years _now, and, sure, we fight and she gets violent, but she always apologizes for whatever she does to me and then everything's fine." _For a while… _The boy added silently. Hearing the intake of breath that foreshadowed her speaking, he hurried on, "That's just the way we are, okay? It really _isn't _your business. Besides…" Gold added as an afterthought, "…she's never done anything _seriously _bad to me. Well, one time, she did kinda break my arm, but I might have deserved it…"

"But…"

Gold snapped his eyes open so he could pin the girl with a glare, sun be damned. However, the first thing he saw was a very _familiar _head of long blonde hair. "Wha…?"

Yellow's own protests died in her throat upon locking eyes with such an _unusual_ shade of _gold_. She gaped for a minute before doing the first thing that came to mind: she shoved the skateboard at him.

In the very next moment, two very different shouts pierced their surroundings at the very same time.

"I believe this is yours!"

"_**You!**_"

* * *

AN- Okay, so, yeah, I'm sure this isn't what you all were expecting, but I suddenly lost the will to write a moment ago, but I wanted to get another chapter out, so what I originally had planned as one chapter has become two. In the next part of Yellow and Gold's 'official' meeting, the counseling part will be introduced. Also, all the people Yellow overheard talking in this chapter are _not _just random people. They probably won't have any real relevance in the story, but they are characters from the manga/games/anime. I'm giving out cookies to those who guess who they are. I'd think I made it pretty obvious who they are already, but I'll give out a hint: think about who they were talking about and where they come from. Till next time~!


	4. Is Dysfunctional Better?

AN- Sorry for the wait~! First of all, *gives cookies* to Anon, for correctly guessing the two senior boys were Morty and Falkner. As for the other two… there were quite a few good guesses (Ruby as the feminine boy, LAWLS; I didn't even think about them at the time, but Jessie and James _do _fit both descriptions well… though I'd make James WAY more eccentric), but no one got it right. Remember, the hint was to think of who the people were talking about and where they came from, as in, which _region _they're from. All four people are Johto gym leaders. The pink-haired girl is Whitney, and the girly boy is Bugsy (this is in reference to the manga, in which when Gold first meets him, he thinks the boy is a _girl_, and even thinks s/he's cute). Also, school's starting up for me soon, meaning I won't be able to update as much (but I'm not giving the fic up or anything, don't worry). Hope you don't mind! Anyways, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but your time. No, seriously.

* * *

**Is Dysfunctional Better?**

Gold stared incredulously at the blonde in front of him. In response, she prodded him to take the skateboard once more. He sighed, but snatched the object out of her hands anyway and began to inspect it. After ensuring that it was indeed still in perfect condition, he turned once more to the girl.

"So, what brings you to this part of campus, sophomore?" he drawled.

The girl blushed under his scrutiny. "I-it's Yellow. My name is Yellow."

Gold rolled his eyes. "Okay, what brings you to this part of campus, _Yellow_?"

The girl literally sat there twiddling her thumbs, refusing to meet his gaze. "Well, I came to bring the skateboard back, but…"

The black-haired boy snorted. "How generous. But is that _all _you came here for?"

Yellow cringed, knowing where this was going. "Originally, yes, but-"

"_Originally?_"

The blonde tried to stay calm, but it was hard with him staring at her like that. The boy may have eyes of such an unusual and beautiful color, but when he was angry they gained a somewhat _dangerous _glint that was seriously unnerving her. "W-well, it's just… your relationship with that girl, Crys-"

"Okay, listen up. I can see that that sweet and innocent attitude of yours is no act and that you're tryin' to help and all, but I don't want it. Sorry, but I don't like it when people pry into my personal life. _Especially _when it's about Crys and I. So I'd appreciate it if you'd let it be, okay?"

"But…"

Just as Gold's patience was reaching a snapping point, his savior came, clad in a black jacket and dark purple pants, not a holy deity, but his best friend. Walking up to the pair, the redhead spoke in a calm, practically monotonous voice. "As Gold puts it, the two of them have a system."

The black-haired boy grinned up at his friend. "Hey, Silver."

There was a few seconds of silence before the standing boy nudged Gold with his foot, a bit uncomfortable. "Don't just sit there smiling at me, idiot. Tell her about your system."

"Oh, right!" Gold scratched the back of his head sheepishly before turning back to Yellow. "My system. I tried to tell ya earlier, but you wouldn't _listen_."

The blonde felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks at the accusation. "T-that can't be true! I heard everything you said!"

"You may have _heard _everything, but you certainly didn't bother _comprehending _it all," the boy said flippantly.

Before Yellow could say anything in her defense, Silver interrupted by chiding the other boy. "Stop being difficult and just tell the girl about your stupid system, already."

Gold rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Yeah, yeah…"

The blonde shot the redheaded boy a grateful look, but it went unnoticed.

"Anyways! The way my system works is like this, Yellow. Normally, it starts out with me doing something Crys doesn't like. She's real high maintenance, see, so the slightest mistake on my part upsets her. Now it wouldn't be so bad if I handled the situation a bit more carefully, I guess, cause I normally give some stupid response to her worries, and that just makes her _more _upset, and she continues grilling me until I lose _my _cool. Then we start seriously arguing, which, more often than not, leads to her getting violent and then stalking away. But then later on, she'll come back crying and bawling and saying how she's so _sorry_, and you can just tell she's been beating herself up about it, 'cause she's actually a good person, it's just that I seem to bring out the aggressive side she tries so hard to pretend she doesn't have. She always looks so horrible and miserable that I can't help but accept her apologies and then we get back together and are happy for a while…" Gold trailed off.

Silver finished the last sentence for him, "They're happy for a while… until the next time the cycle starts."

Yellow blinked. "And… you're truly happy with that?"

The boy in question shrugged. "Sure. It makes things more interesting, really. A _normal _relationship would be too _boring_!"

The blonde frowned, trying and failing to understand the way Gold's mind worked. "Still… isn't the way your relationship is now a bit… _dysfunctional?_"

Golden eyes locked onto her own green flecked amber ones. "Maybe, but I don't have a problem with it, so why should you?"

Yellow was running out of ideas. Could he truly be okay with the way things were? "…And you don't mind the pain?"

"Of course not! I know that all you girls are scared of pain, but I'm a _guy. _It's like in my job description that I should be able to bear any pain easily." The redhead beside him tried unsuccessfully to cover up a snort. Gold eyed his friend. "What?"

Silver hid a small smile. "…Nothing."

Gold frowned at the boy suspiciously, but said nothing until he'd turned back to Yellow. "So there you have it. It's nice of you to want to help, but your services aren't needed."

In response, the blonde just stared forlornly at him, as if trying to peer into his soul. He soon grew uncomfortable under her level gaze and chose to look at the grass instead. Oh, look at that! This blade of grass is two centimeters longer than the others!

Yellow's staring didn't let up for quite some time. _If he's really okay with it, I should just let it go, but…_ A few minutes later, she came to a decision and started rummaging around in her bag. _Let's see… a pen and a piece of paper is what I need… They've gotta be in here somewhere!_

The noise she was making attracted the attention of both boys, and Gold deadpanned, "What the hell are you doing?"

The blonde's face lit up as she finally found what she had been searching for. "Aha! Found them!" That said, she began to write. Gold stood up and attempted to peer over her shoulder to see, but it was unnecessary, as seconds later, she stood up as well and turned around and all but thrust the slip of paper at him, grinning broadly all the while.

Golden eyes scanned the contents of said paper, and he then looked up -or rather, looked _down_- at the girl, perplexed. "Your number?"

Yellow nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

Gold looked between her and the paper a few times before clearing his throat. "Um, listen, I think you're really nice and all, and I suppose you're also kinda cute, but, whether I seem it or not, I'm loyal to Crys, so-"

At the beginning of his impromptu speech, Yellow had been highly confused, but as he went on, realization had dawned and she began blushing. Hard. "It's not like that!" she shrieked.

The boy stared at her, baffled. "Eh?"

The blonde tried to fight back the blush, but failed. She instead opted to ignore it in the hopes that it would go away. "It's just, I could tell that you really do care about your girlfriend, despite how flippant you were. You said you were fine with the way your relationship with her is, and I accept that… I guess. But, I thought, maybe if one day something changes and you think your relationship isn't working out like you wanted, you can call me and I'll try to help as a mediator of sorts. Or a relationship councilor, if you will. Would you… be okay… with that?" She stopped and tried to catch her breath.

Both boys were looking at her like she had grown a second head. She fidgeted nervously, but didn't retract her offer.

Eventually, Gold came back to life and offered a hesitant reply. "…Okay…?"

Silver stared at his friend through slightly widened eyes, though his face showed no other apparent changes. He was actually quite shocked, though no one but Gold would be able to figure it out, what with his total lack of expression.

Yellow, on the other hand… her face lit up like a Christmas tree. If it was possible her million-watt smile got even brighter. "Great! So, uh…"

Gold was still rooted to the spot, his brain unsuccessfully trying to compute what was happening. "Yeah…"

The blonde's smile grew softer. "It was nice meeting you. The both of you."

"You, too…" Gold muttered. Silver just nodded.

Yellow looked between the two of them for a moment before speaking. "Well then, I'll be off." That said she began to walking, but stopped not one hundred feet away to turn and wave.

The black-haired boy half-heartedly returned the wave, still shell-shocked.

Watching her walk away, Silver turned to his friend. "So… she gave you her number."

Finally snapping out of it, Gold scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess she did."

"But she said it wasn't like that."

"Yeah. And oddly enough… I believe her."

Silver stared at the boy for a moment before turning to look at where Yellow had been only moments ago. The blonde was already long gone.

Suddenly recalling part of the conversation with the girl, the redhead chuckled softly.

Gold glanced at his friend curiously. "What?"

Silver's eyes shone with mirth. "I distinctly remember you crying when Crystal broke your arm."

Were this an anime, the other boy's eyes would've bugged out. As it is, he was just seriously shocked. "Huh?!"

"And you passed out when she kicked you where it hurts."

Gold practically glowed red from embarrassment. "I most certainly did _not_!"

Silver chuckled. "You most certainly _did_. I should know: I was the one lugging you back home. When I walked through your door with you passed out on my back, your mother almost had a heart attack."

"…Shut up!"

Silver laughed at his friend's expense for a few moments, but then turned serious. "Gold… you _do _know where Crystal has been going lately after your fights…?"

Any semblance of a good mood immediately left the older boy. "…Yeah, I know."

The boys looked to the senior dorms.

* * *

AN- Once again, I've cut the chapter a bit (about halfway), meaning what I originally had planned for _one chapter _has now become three (possibly four). And yet, it's still roughly two thousand words. Can you _imagine _how long it would've been originally without any chapter cutting? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and constructive criticism really helps, okay? *wink, wink* Also, I've got one question for all y'all. What color are Yellow's eyes, truly? I mean, on book covers, they've been black, amber, and green. Green is my preferred default for her (it's also the one I've seen the most), but I can't help thinking that her eyes are _supposed _to be amber (because all the other PokeSpe characters have eye colors close to their names). Since I was unsure, I described her eyes as "green flecked amber" this time, but I'd like to hear all of your opinions on the matter. Also, go ahead and take a guess at what Crys is up to (and no, it's NOT cheating… well, not exactly. *hint, hint, wink, wink*). If you're correct, I'll give out… chocolate figurines of the PokeSpe cast! Just tell me which one(s) you want! Till next time~!


	5. Rendezvous

AN- And I'm back! I tried to get this out quickly, but another fic (Shugo Chara) has kinda been preoccupying me. Gomen-ne~! (that was Japanese for "sorry", in case ya didn't know) Anyways, while this chapter may seem even more filler-esque than the last (sorry, Auresque), I _promise _that the whole thing has a point. Enjoy~!

**Lucky_Rosepetal**: (Are you the same one from the Luckyshipping thread on Serebii???) Thanks for your kind (and detailed) review! I'm glad to have made you a bit of an Ambershipping convert, and thankful for your input on Yellow's eyes (I'll take this time to say thanks to _everyone _for their input there). Your guess about what Crys is up to, while not being spot on, is pretty darn close! You deserve my PokeSpe chocolate figurines! Having no clue who you'd prefer, I'll just give ya Red and Blue (since I'm assuming that you're the same one from Serebii). Holding hands. I hope for your review again this chapter~!

**All your bases are belong to us**: (your ID is long!) First off, thanks for reviewing. While I appreciate you trying to help, I know for certain that I spelled 'councilor' right (I typed both my version and yours into word, and yours showed up as wrong, while mine didn't). Both guesses about what Crys has been doing are good (the second is more accurate), and you'll find out just _who _she's been going to in this chapter. But anyway, if you want PokeSpe chocolate figurines, they're yours! I look forward to your review again this chapter~!

Disclaimer: What do you think?

Warning: There is slight (_slight!_) Eusine bashing from Gold. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Eusine, but I honestly don't think the two boys would get along very well, and, considering what Gold had just heard from Crys, he was a bit justified in verbalizing his resentment. Also, lots of MangaQuestshipping this chapter. That's a warning in itself. *utterly despises MQ*

* * *

**Rendezvous**

A few hours later found the two friends lazing about in their dorm room, Silver getting ready for a shower and Gold staring impatiently at the door.

While searching through his stuff for a clean pair of boxers, the redhead looked over at the golden-eyed boy and sighed. "She's late."

Gold just continued to stare sullenly at the door, as if willing it to open. "I know."

This statement was followed by a sharp glance at the coffee table, where the slip of paper with Yellow's number lay unwanted.

Silver watched his friend nervously. "It's almost curfew. Soon she won't be _able _to come here."

A sigh. "I know."

The younger of the two cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Gold, I don't think she's-"

The black-haired boy silenced his friend with a dark look. "She'll be here."

The boys stared challengingly at each other for a few moments, tension so thick you'd have to cut it with a knife. Finally, Silver gave up and looked away. "Fine. Think whatever you want, I won't stop you. I'm getting in the shower." That said, the boy left the small living room and closed the door behind him. Moments later, water could be heard running.

Gold sighed and went back to staring holes in the door, checking the clock on the wall every few minutes.

It was 9:10 currently. At ten, people were to retire to their own rooms. At eleven, it was lights out. Crys had less than an hour to come and apologize like she usually did.

The boy stole at glance at the paper.

_I shouldn't, _he thought, tearing his gaze away. _It isn't necessary. After all, she's still got time. She'll be here._

9:17. Gold stared holes into the paper.

It was becoming harder to look away. It was almost as if the simple little slip of paper was mesmerizing him. _I really __**don't **__need this, _he reasoned. _Crys __**always **__comes to apologize…_

9:29. He recoiled quickly upon realizing he was reaching for it. _It's just… _His face was grim. _**Usually, **__she comes and apologizes within an hour or two of our fight._

9:36. _But this time it's already been __**four hours, **__and she's a no-show!_

Gold was just reaching for the phone, Yellow's number in hand, when a tentative knock on the door stopped him in his tracks. He stared at the door for a few seconds before replying hopefully, "Yeah?"

A sniffle came from the other side. "Gold…? Can I come in?"

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and smiled. "Yeah, Crys. Come on in."

The doorknob turned slowly, but the slight creaking sound it brought forth was enough to bring him back to reality. He stared at the slip of paper in his hand for a moment, panicking. What would she think if she saw him with another girl's number? Not knowing where else to stash the offending article, he dove onto the nearby couch and stuffed it into it's deep recesses. Gold briefly wondered how he looked, sprawled onto the couch in a peculiar position, one hand jammed into it's hellish depths.

This was the scene Crystal walked in on. Upon catching sight of him, the girl stopped and stared. He took the opportunity and stared back.

Her eyes were red and puffy, as was her nose. Her clothes were slightly rumpled. Her hair was down from it's usual twin pigtails, and tangled horribly. The thing that really caught his attention, however, was her right hand. It was tinged red, as if she'd been pushing against something that wouldn't budge, or had slapped someone fiercely.

Despite the fact that she was short on time, the girl couldn't help but question her beau. "Gold… what are you doing?"

The boy in question stiffened. "Oh, uh, I'm…" His mind searched frantically for a reason, any reason, that his hand would be thrust into the couch. "…trying to get my change! It, uh, fell out of my pocket earlier, see, and ended up in the couch. I was tryin' to get a hold of it…"

"Oh…" Crys went to sit on the couch, but changed her mind and instead stood beside it awkwardly, twirling her hair in her fingers nervously. "…Can we talk?"

Removing his hand from the couch, Gold sat upright. "Of course! Sit down, Crys."

Taking the offered seat beside him, Crystal sat stiffly, hands in her lap. "Um, Gold, I… I wanted to apologize…"

Gold waved her unnecessary apology away. The fact that she'd come back was enough. Instead, he questioned her, "What happened to your hand?"

The girl cringed, looking shameful. "W-well, in order to know that…" she stopped and tried unsuccessfully to clear the lump that had developed in her throat, and then continued on, "…I need to tell you a few other things first, okay, Gold?"

The boy in question glanced at her oddly, but nodded. "Okay…"

Crystal bit her lip, pondering over the best way to say things. "Well… I don't know if you've realized it or not, but… lately, after our fights, I've been… going over to the senior dorms." She paused to allow the information to sink in, but Gold nodded her on. "See, I've got this friend there, Eusine… maybe you've heard of him?"

The boy's visage had soured rapidly upon hearing the name. "That dramatic freak? Who _hasn't _heard of him at one time or another?"

The cyan-haired girl frowned. "He isn't a freak. He's nice. And when I want to vent, he listens. Unlike _most _people I know…" she trailed off to throw a pointed glare his way. "He understands me really well, Gold."

"So he's gay," the boy deadpanned.

Crys stiffened, a light blush beginning to heat her cheeks. "No, actually he isn't." She locked eyes with him, smiling sheepishly, but her face continued to redden. "…I-in fact, until recently, I thought so, as well. Actually, I'd still think so if he hadn't…"

It wasn't all that hard to catch on to her implications. She was about as subtle as a horse. Gold's fists clenched. "What happened?"

The girl stared at her feet, twiddling her thumbs. "…Today, I went over to his dorm, as usual. It all started out the same, it really did. I cried and complained, he lent me his shoulder and listened attentively. It was as I was preparing to go that things got… complicated."

The boy grit his teeth. "Crys, what _happened?_"

She avoided his gaze, but persisted in her explanation. "…Just before I left, he stopped me. It's something he's never done before. He… he told me that I could do better, for starters. It was the kind of thing a friend would say to me, so I just took it and tried to explain. But then, he… started saying things. Things like how if I were dating _him_, he'd never make me cry, or how he'd never hurt me. I was alarmed, of course. I'd honestly thought he was gay, and there he was practically confessing his love to me!" Tears had started spilling from her eyes, and Gold unconsciously went to wipe them away, but she stopped him guiltily. "But that's not the worst part, Gold. Before I could even _process _everything he'd said, he kissed me. I'm not talking like a forceful, there's-no-escape-for-you type of kiss, but a gentle, passionate and caring kiss. As much as I'd like to deny it, he was telling the truth."

Gold lost his steam then. It was obvious that blowing up at a person who wasn't even around would only upset her more. Instead, he kept his temper at bay and focused back on the origin of her long explanation. "So, your hand is like that because…?"

Eyes like sapphires locked onto his own nervously. "…I slapped him. I, I didn't mean to, but instinct took control! After that… I ran. The reason I took so long to come here was because I was running all around campus trying to cool down."

The boy sighed. "So you slapped him, huh?" Crystal nodded ruefully. "Why? Didn't you ever think that maybe he was right?"

All traces of remorse on her face were replaced by pure shock. "Of course not! I mean, I know our relationship has its problems, but… but I love you."

Gold smiled warmly. "…Yeah. Love you, too." _And the next time that senior comes around, I'm kicking his sorry ass._

The girl nibbled on her lip anxiously. "So… does that mean I'm forgiven?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Crys. You know how my system works. We fight, break up, you come and apologize, and…" he trailed off, obviously expecting her to give the last line.

"…And we get back together?" Crystal finished hopefully.

The boy nodded triumphantly, content. "You know it!"

The two shared a few peaceful minutes of happy silence, but then the girl turned businesslike. "Let me see your head. I want to see how bad I hurt you."

Gold sighed, but knew better than to say no. He lay his head in her lap comfortably, letting her inspect it. She came across the huge bump quickly, wincing at its size. Touching it gingerly prompted a shout of protest from her boyfriend. "Ow! Stop that!"

Crystal smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry. It's still sore?"

He shrugged. "Yeah…" At her remorseful expression, he hurriedly continued on, "…but I'd much rather endure a little bump on my head than some of the other stuff you've done to me over the years!"

The girl lifted an eyebrow. "Is that honestly supposed to make me feel better?"

Gold grinned. "Of course."

Crys smiled alongside him, but then turned serious once more. "But, Gold… don't you think our relationship is a bit dysfunctional sometimes? Doesn't it bother you?"

The boy barely managed to keep from cringing, reminded of Yellow's words earlier. "…So what if our relationship is dysfunctional? I like it better that way!"

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, satisfied and smiling. "Oh, Gold, what would I do without you…?"

The two were just leaning in for a kiss when a knock at the door interrupted them.

Gold frowned at the bad timing, but called the person in anyway. The door opened swiftly, and in walked a man decked out in a rather flashy aqua ensemble. Standing before them was their dorm advisor, who was also the art teacher.

The D.A. looked between the couple sitting closely on the couch and the clock hanging on the wall, reading 9:58, a few times before smiling apologetically. "While I understand the throes and longing involved in your young love, this is not the time." The man directed his gaze towards Crystal. "You'll have to save your romantic rendezvous for another day, I'm afraid."

The girl blushed at his words and stood up quickly. "O-of course! I'll, uh, head straight back to my room." Under the watchful gaze of their D.A., she quickly turned and whispered a goodbye to her beau, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek, before all but running out the room.

Halfway down the hallway, the dorm advisor stopped her. "I expect I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow?"

Crystal turned and, smiling, bowed lightly to the man. "Of course, Professor Wallace!" Then, she turned and started back towards her own room.

The aqua-haired man smiled pleasantly at her retreating figure before bringing his attention back to Gold. "Well, have a nice night."

The boy raised a hand in a half-assed goodbye. "Sure thing."

The moment one door closed, another one opened. Gold stared at his roommate, dripping wet and wrapped up in a towel, and wondered when the boy had gotten out of the shower.

Silver ran a hand through his hair, looking at the door that had just shut. "Who was that?"

Gold smiled cockily. "You'd have been here to know if you didn't take such long-ass showers."

The redhead frowned. "My hair is a lot longer than yours. It takes a long time to wash."

The other boy snickered. "Dude, that sounded really girly."

Silver frowned. "Shut up." He yawned and glanced at the clock, and then back at his friend. "So, either you had a really good conversation with our dorm advisor, or Crystal came by."

Gold smiled smugly. "I told you she'd come."

The younger of the two shrugged. "Yeah, yeah…" He glanced at the coffee table and narrowed his eyes. "…What'd you do with that girl's number?"

The golden-eyed boy stared at his friend for a few moments, completely drawing a blank. _Number? Girl? What? _Then, he remembered it in a flash. "Oh!" He accompanied his surprised exclamation with digging his hands into the couch.

Seeing his best friend searching the depths of the couch, Silver was much amused. "…What are you doing?"

Gold's eyes lit up as he found what he had been searching for. "Aha!" The boy triumphantly pulled the now dirty and wrinkled slip of paper from the couch.

The redhead arched an eyebrow. "You hid it in the couch?" The other boy nodded an affirmative. "…Do you even need it anymore, since you clearly made up with Crystal?"

Gold frowned at that. "Good question. I _shouldn't _need it anymore, but…"

The boys stared at the paper, one contemplative, the other uncaring.

No matter how many times he told himself he didn't need it, the golden-eyed boy couldn't help but keep the paper. Crys and Yellow's words echoed in his head like a mantra. _…a bit dysfunctional? Dysfunctional? A bit dysfunctional..._

Gold stared at the number few a few minutes longer before giving in. "Aw, what the hell?"

He reached for his cell phone, Yellow's number in his grasp.

* * *

AN- Would y'all believe me if I said that I once again cut the chapter short? (I bet you're all getting sick of hearing me say this…) Anyway, I'm not sure what to think of this one. My goal was to one, redeem Crystal's image in the eyes of the viewers a bit, and two, set the stage for future events. Hopefully I accomplished both (I know I did the first). Still, this chapter's a bit all over the place for me. I like certain parts (like the Gold and Silver banter), but hate others (Crys talking about what happened with Eusine). I also liked writing about Silver dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel (oh, the imagery~!). And writing Wallace is fun (I love Wallace. Expect more of him in later chapters. Also expect some Gracefulshipping), since he's so funky and eccentric! But that's all about the chapter. From hereon, I'm rambling, so feel free to stop reading here, okay? I'm not sure whether or not I've made it obvious, but I love PreciousMetalshipping. To little bits and pieces. While this story is clearly going to be Ambershipping, I intend to write a PreciousMetalshipping fic eventually (not the one in my future ideas on my profile, just so you know, but another one entirely). I also intend for it to be M-rated (my first ever, but I've read enough of those types of fics that I think I could pull it off). I'm just telling ya now. Once that gets started, I'll be focusing on it a lot, so I might not update this as much. Anyway, if any of you out there like PreciousMetalshipping, please read it when I upload it, okay? Bye~!


	6. Breaking News

AN- Sorry, as always, for the wait, but I'm back! I've been busy, as I said, working on my PreciousMetalshipping fic, among other things… (excuses, excuses… But hey, I've posted it, so if you like that ship, please go check it out and drop a review!). Also, this is just a fair warning, but this chapter won't have much in the romance department (aside from some subtle jealously and Yellow's one-sided love). It focuses almost entirely on implanting a little _subplot _I've got planned. And general Blue angst. Sorry to disappoint. Hopefully, it won't suck too terribly… Anyways, as always, enjoy~!

**All your bases are belong to us**: That's a funny prediction of what might happen. But I'm trying not to make Crystal seem like the "bad guy", so I'll tell you right now, _if _(truthfully, I'm still working out her part in this fic, so even I can't really say if she's telling the truth or not) she's lying, it won't be revealed so blatantly. Still, it was an entertaining prospect, nonetheless. I look forward to your review again! ^_^

Disclaimer: *puts one hand on Bible* I, MCO, hereby declare that I own nothing but the plot of this story (can't lie in court…). I also don't own the two songs mentioned and/or used in this chapter.

* * *

**Breaking News**

Just minutes before a certain amber-eyed boy had decided to call his green-eyed heroine, the aforementioned girl had been having a conversation with her roommate.

Unlike Yellow with her weird schedule chock full of morning classes, Blue had chosen mostly afternoon classes, and today was no exception. Having gotten back only an hour ago and immediately hopping into the bath, it was only now that she was out that she bothered to notice her blonde friend. "So Yellow, have you managed to find your _Sk8er Boi_ yet?"

The younger of the two, despite not getting the joke, blushed. "Yes, actually. I've finally returned his skateboard, and we got to talk. It was…" she frowned, wondering if she should tell Blue about Gold and his girlfriend, before recalling a prior conversation with Red and deciding against it. All the other girl would want to do with that information was spread it, which would have meant she'd lose the bet Red had explained to the blonde earlier. "…It was nice."

As if sensing she was being left out of something, Blue smiled slyly. "Oh, really? _Do _tell."

Yellow tensed in response. "T-there's nothing _to _tell! All we did was talk, like I said!"

The brunette was no dummy, and arched an eyebrow to show it. "Honestly?"

Of, course, the younger of the two, despite the many "dumb blonde" jokes out there, was just as smart. She knew the look on her friend's face, and thought of only one escape. "…I'm taking a shower now!"

Before the other girl could raise a protest, Yellow had gathered the necessary items and rushed to the tiny bathroom, blushing madly at Blue's implications. The older girl frowned at the blonde's getaway, but called after her, "Okay, but don't think this is the end of it! When you get out, the conversation is starting back up _exactly _where it left off!"

No response. Then the sound of running water.

The blue-eyed girl sighed before flopping onto her bed carelessly, reaching for the remote as she did so. The sound of a ring tone stopped her.

_When you walk away,_

_you don't hear me say,_

_pl-ee-ease, oh, baby,_

_don't go!_

Blue smiled at the pleasant tune, thinking it suited her roommate perfectly. Yellow's cell phone had been left lying on her small work desk. The brunette contemplated answering for the blonde, but couldn't motivate herself enough to move from her comfortable position on her warm and fluffy bed. She'd just wait the song out.

_Simple and clean is the _

_way that you're making me_

_Fe-el to-night._

_It's ha-rd to let it go._

After another minute or so of waiting, the caller finally seemed to give up, as the tune abruptly stopped. Blue let out a sigh of relief. It was a nice enough song, but it was so _slow_. It was lulling her to sleep, and that just wouldn't do! How would she interrogate her roommate if she fell asleep?

_When you walk away,_

_you don't hear me-_

The brunette frowned irritably---darn persistent callers---and quickly snatched her friend's cell. "Who is it?"

"…_Blue? Is that you?"_

She took a moment to decipher the voice, frowning into the device suspiciously until she figured it out. "…Red?"

"_Yeah. Hey, listen, Green wanted me to… hey, why are you on Yellow's phone?"_

Involuntarily, a smile sprung to her lips. The boy could get so sidetracked by the simplest things. It was adorable… not that she'd ever tell him that. But the smile fell quickly when his words registered. Yellow. He was asking about Yellow. She had to focus, and definitely _not _allow her mind to wonder if her friend made a habit of calling the blonde, and she just didn't know. "She's in the shower."

"_And you thought it was okay to just answer her phone for her?"_

"Her ring tone annoyed me! I already listened to it once the whole way through, I didn't want to bear through it again! It's _your _fault for calling again."

"_Huh? What are you talking about? This is the first time I've called. Well, the first time I was able to get through, anyway. I tried a minute ago, but it said the line was busy…"_

So Red hadn't been the previous caller, then? Hmm… curious. But, at the current time, it wasn't all that important. "Forget about it. Just tell me what's so important."

"_Uh, well, Green told me to call __**Yellow**__… huh? It doesn't matter which one of them I reached? Okay… Did you hear that, Blue? Green says- what… hey! What are do-!"_

Blue frowned, hearing the boys scuffling for the phone on the other line. Really, she didn't see what could possibly have the other brunette so worried. Suddenly, there was a voice on the other end.

"_Blue."_

She sighed. "Why did you take the phone away from Red?"

"_He was getting sidetracked and wasting time. It doesn't matter. Is Yellow there?"_

The brunette frowned. Not just Red, but Green, too, seemed to want to talk to the blonde more. She grit her teeth, and resisted the urge to see the color red as best she could. "As I already told Red, she's in the shower."

"…_I wanted to let her know, but oh well. Turn on the TV."_

"Huh?"

"_Any news channel."_

"Why?"

"_Don't ask. Just do it."_

"Pushy, pushy…" she muttered, but complied. Pressing the power button, she quickly switched away from her usual channel and to the closest news station. Then, she glanced at the screen. And dropped the cell phone, mouth sliding open in shock.

"_This is Mary, reporting in. The notorious band of thugs and thieves, __**Team Rocket**__, has struck again. Their victim this time? It's all of-"_

"Saffron City!" Blue shrieked, diving for the phone, which, luckily, hadn't broken. "Green, have you _seen _this?!"

A sigh. _"Of course I've seen it. Why else would I have Red call to warn you two about it?"_

The brunette ignored his words and bit her lip worriedly. "…You know, that's only about a half-hour drive from Celadon City."

"_I know."_

"…Do you think they'll come here?"

"_I honestly have no clue. But, it's a very real possibility. And those guys are __**very **__dangerous. That's why I wanted to warn Yellow… and you."_

Her name had been tacked on like an afterthought. That stung. She'd always suspected, of course, that the emerald-eyed boy held a soft spot for the blonde, but to be so blatantly placed in second by such a close friend… "…I'll tell her for you."

"…_Thank you."_

It was at that moment that the very girl they were talking about walked out of the bathroom, one towel hanging onto her loosely---_very _loosely; as Blue would jokingly say, Yellow didn't exactly have much to hold it up, to which the blonde would blush furiously and cross her arms over her chest---and another being run over her hair in a lackadaisical attempt at drying it.

Blue stared at her. "Yellow…"

The younger girl blinked. "What's wrong?"

The brunette stayed quiet for once, and instead just pointed at the television. The blonde turned her attention to the screen and gasped. "That's-"

"I know. It's Saffron City. Team Rocket has _taken over _Saffron City."

Yellow never tore her gaze away from the screen, and Blue feared she'd start hyperventilating. "Oh, Blue, what'll we do if they come here?!"

The elder of the two shook her head morosely. "…I don't know. All I know is that watching this is just gonna psych us out, so I'm turning it off."

"…Okay."

"_What's going on over there?"_

Blue frowned into the receiver. "Red? Where'd Green go?"

"_He said he was done talking and just gave me the phone."_

She exhaled. "Really."

Yellow glanced between Blue and the phone, a hint of red adorning her cheeks. "I-is that Red? On _my _phone?" The other girl nodded and held up a finger to indicate that she should be quiet so she could finish her conversation.

"Yellow's out of the shower now, and we've both seen the news. Green got his warning conveyed."

"_Okay, then. I guess there's nothing else to talk about, huh?"_

"Nope. Well, goodni-"

"_Oh, wait!"_

Blue frowned irritably. She hated being interrupted. "What?"

"_I'm just warning you: don't think you can gossip because I'm not around."_

She rolled her eyes. "I already figured that, stupid." She just didn't intend to follow it. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"_No, I mean it. If you gossip around Yellow, she's gonna tell me."_

Her eyes flew open wide. "_**WHAT**_?!"

"_What do you mean, 'what'? I just explained to you…"_

Blue ignored him and rounded on her roommate, eyes glittering dangerously. "Yellow! What's this about you helping him keep an eye on me?!"

The blonde flinched. "W-well, it's not what you think! I'm only trying to keep things fair…"

The brunette growled. "How is this keeping things _fair_?! This is like surrounding me from all angles!" An idea struck her then: considering that Yellow _obviously _had a mega crush on the boy, maybe Red had been able to talk her into it… without even knowing what he was really doing to her, of course. "Did Red convince you to do this?"

"_Don't bring me into it! __**She **__suggested it, not me! I swear!"_

Blue stared at her friend, willing it not to be true. "Honestly?" Of course, the younger of the two couldn't have heard Red's comments, so, the brunette elaborated, "_You _suggested that you help him?" The blonde looked at her feet and nodded. "…Why?"

Yellow kept her gaze to the floor as she began explaining. "Earlier today, Red called me and told me all about your bet. He… he said he was worried that you'd gossip when he wasn't around." The brunette clenched her fists, silently admonishing the boy for his lack of trust in her, but ultimately stayed quiet. Yellow glanced up to make sure her friend was still listening before carrying on, "…It's just… I know you, Blue. I know that, without him watching over you, you might slip up and gossip, intentionally or _unintentionally_, it doesn't matter. But, since I'm your roommate, I'm the one most likely to be around when you make this slip. Knowing about the bet, I can't sit back and do nothing, even if you're gossiping _is _a total accident, because it's unfair to Red. So, I'm helping him. This way, you'll make sure never to gossip, and the both of you will be going about this fair and square… understand?"

All Blue "understood" from this lengthy explanation is that, much like Red, her own roommate didn't seem to believe she could handle _not _gossiping without supervision. And quite frankly… it hurt. But she couldn't tell Yellow that without making the other girl feel extremely guilty, and, what with them both already being shook-up over the problems in nearby Saffron City, she just didn't have the heart to do it.

Instead, she chose to address Red. "…I understand. Between you and Yellow, I'm sure I'll never be without one of you, so I'll certainly be on guard and not gossip."

"…_Okay…?"_

She could tell from his voice that he was suspicious. He'd probably expected her to go off on him; truthfully, she wanted to. So badly. Did he even realize how much his lack of faith hurt? "…It's late, and I'm getting tired, so…"

"_Blue, are you sure everything's okay? You sound kinda funny…"_

She frowned. "Goodnight, Red." And then she snapped the phone shut before handing it back to Yellow, who was watching her curiously.

"Blue?"

The brunette sighed and began getting around for bed, actively avoiding the blonde's gaze. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" It came out as a whisper, and the elder girl practically flinched. No, she _wasn't_ "alright". She was as far as could be from "alright".

Still refusing to meet Yellow's gaze, she replied, "…I'm fine."

She could feel her friend's gaze lingering on her. "…Are you sure?"

_I already said I was fine! Leave it at that! _Blue resisted the urge to snap at the other girl, knowing that it would only make matters worse. "…Yeah. I'm just… tired. Let's go to bed, okay?"

"…Okay."

Both of them slipped into bed with many thoughts swirling in their heads, one overly contemplative, the other just… feeling bad. Blue already knew she wouldn't be getting sleep tonight.

Through the silence, she could still feel Yellow's gaze on her. It was only an hour later, when a soft snoring began, that she finally relaxed and realized: because of all the panic and---what she considered to be---betrayals earlier, she had completely forgotten to ask the blonde about her mystery guy.

Damn.

* * *

AN- This chapter sucked. Seriously. It was basically angst, and writing angst depresses me, so I think it sucked, cause I'm in "negative mode". That aside, I'm giving away virtual cookies to those who can guess the two songs used (and, if you know, who they're sung by). If you're wondering why I had the college they're all attending be in Celadon City, the answer is… I don't really know. It just seems right. It's a big city, so people from all different places are more likely to congregate there, I guess. I really just thought it was a more likely place for a college with kids from all the different regions to go. So... it works. Kinda. Yes, Team Rocket is gonna be in this fic, but not the "anime" TR, cause they're morons and serve no purpose other than comic relief. The characters reactions to TR here should make it perfectly clear: they are badass villains who are not to be messed with. And YES, I so totally had Gold's call ignored. I'm sure you all hate me for it. But whatever. Don't worry, the next chapter, he'll be more direct, so there'll be no way to get around it. Buh Bye~!


	7. Set in Motion

AN- Ugh, Writer's Block sucks. Seriously. It's amazing I managed to get a chapter out, since I'm suffering from a rather serious case of it. So yeah. Sorry for the wait, but please don't expect fast updates (a more detailed explanation is on my profile, if you're curious). And uh, this is mostly a buildup chapter, just to warn you. *shot*

mhadz0021: You were right about "Simple and Clean" *gives cookie*, and the other song wasn't actually used so much as mentioned. Blue asked about Yellow's "Sk8ter Boi", which is an Avril Lavigne song.

And, *gives cookies* to everyone else who managed to guess the songs. Thanks for the reviews, guys!

* * *

**Set in Motion**

Lunch the next day was quiet all around. The colorful group hadn't been the only one to see the news. Hushed whispers and quiet murmurs abounded.

"_Who cares about them, anyway? I was raised being told they were a bunch of quacks. Wannabes playing criminal."_

"_Well, yeah, at one time they __**were**_ _just an annoyance, but not anymore. Rumor has it that they've got a new leader, and he…"_

"…_won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way. Mostly, they're just thieves, but they'll steal anything, from high-class heists to taking candy from a baby."_

"_Age or gender doesn't matter; if you get in their way, they __**will**_ _take you out."_

Needless to say, the mood was quite somber. The anxiety in the atmosphere was so thick that you'd be hard-pressed to cut it with a knife.

And while her friends may have been content to sit and stew in depression, Blue was not. So, she took the metaphorical knife and proceeded to stab said atmosphere as brutally and violently as she could by saying the first non Team Rocket related thing she could think of.

"If you're employing the One Person Rule, then so am I."

Red looked up from where he'd been brutally and violently stabbing his corn with his fork in complete and utter bafflement. "Say what now?"

In all truth, the brunette herself wasn't quite sure what had possessed her into saying such a stupid and nonsensical thing, but she wasn't about to admit that. So she thought quickly and spun the slip-up into something usable. "What I _mean_, is, since you've got one person, that person being Yellow, to help you _spy _on me, don't I get one person on my side?"

Red quirked an eyebrow. "_If _you got someone on your side, that person would need to agree to let you gossip about them – and only them! Not only did Yellow agree to help me, she _suggested _it. Sorry to say, but you'll have a hard time finding someone willing to let you gab about them." Of course, the moment Red had finished talking, he'd realized his mistake. "No, wait –"

By now the other two residents of the table had long since abandoned their food, watching the match of wits with bated breath.

Blue smiled, looking quite like the cat that had the canary caught beneath its paws. "No I won't. Right, _Yellow_?"

The blonde froze immediately and let out a small squeak. "B-but I'm already working with Red!"

The elder girl waved a hand as if to say, _Who cares? _And indeed, "You can have a dual role. Help him keep an eye on me when he's not around, but to make it fair also let me gossip about you – only you, of course."

Yellow attempted a meek defense. "But, but, how is that _fair_? The deal was that you don't gossip at all, right? No exceptions…?"

Blue rolled her azure eyes. "That was the _original _deal, yes. And I _could _have held my tongue and won fair and square, but then Red decided that I needed to be put under even _more _pressure – thanks for that _leap of faith_, by the way, you jerk."

She accompanied her last words with a spiteful glare his way, to which he shrunk away from, chastised. She directed her gaze back to the blonde, plastering on a small smile. "So you see, Yellow, it's _fair_, because it evens the playing table after Red stacked the deck in his favor. Instead of two to one, it's back to one to one – or rather, two to two."

Still, the younger girl nibbled on her lip and avoided Blue's eyes. "Well… I still don't want you to gossip about me…"

The brunette sighed and placed a hand on Yellow's shoulder, bringing the other girl's gaze back to her. "You mean you want it to stay the way it is? With you _betraying _me like this? I was so hurt when I found out you took his side last night, you know…"

Yellow lowered her head in guilt and ignored Red's outraged splutters of, "That's blackmail!"

Blue gave him a pointed glare, which belied her victorious smile, and mouthed, _Actually, it's closer to bribery. I ease her guilt for her help!_

He scowled. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Blue."

But he couldn't know, of course – she _was _ashamed that she'd had to resort to such a nasty trick. And on a friend, no less! She wanted to blame it on him, say that he pushed her to such a cruel limit. But she knew it was as much her fault as his. So she looked down at her untouched lunch tray, avoiding his baleful glare.

Only Green bothered to notice the look of hurt that flashed over her face before disappearing under a calm mask of indifference. But he stayed silent. He always does.

Finally, Yellow looked up. "It's not like there's much in my life to gossip about anyway…?"

Blue smiled at the last ditch effort. "Just more of a reason for it to be you. Even if I _can _gossip about you, what would there be to say?"

As she expected it would, her comment eased the blonde's worries just a tad, and she nodded. "Okay."

And, if irony weren't such a cruel bitch, that would have been that.

But since it's a well established fact that irony _is _a cruel bitch, a figure standing just behind the blonde – how all four had managed to miss him, and his posse of two, they couldn't guess – chose that moment to say, "Oi. Blondie."

In unison, all four friends turned to the newcomer, Yellow letting out a confused, "Reh?"

Slightly annoyed golden eyes stared down at her. Gold sighed. "You know, if you're gonna give a guy your number, you might want to consider _answering the phone_." All the friends, hers and his alike, froze. It took him a moment, but he realized his error, and went to correct it. "Uh, that came out wrong. What I meant was…"

But he trailed off, because really, there wasn't any other way to put that statement. Behind him, Silver let out a sigh of his own and shook his head at his friend's idiocy, and Crystal looked wildly between her beau and the blonde, not yet angry, but _very _confused.

She grabbed his arm tightly. "What's going on here, Gold?"

Silver intervened, "You should have told her what you were planning before dragging her over here, you idiot."

The boy in question realized belatedly that the redhead was right. And so, with a pleasant smile directed at the blonde he had stupidly approached and a _We'll be right back, _he proceeded to drag his girlfriend out of the cafeteria.

Instead of immediately clamping onto this juicy new development and interrogating Yellow about it like the three had figured she would, Blue turned to the redhead. "So that was your 'idiot friend', as you're so fond of calling him?"

He sighed and plopped down next to her. "The very same."

Of course, the other three friends gazed at them with gaping mouths – although it was clearly metaphorically speaking when it came to Green. He simply looked between the two in mild perplexity.

Red was the first to become coherent. "Wait. You _know _each other?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Of course! Unlike the three of you, I _do _actually have friends outside of this table, you know…"

Her comment was met by angry frowns from the boys, though Yellow remained unresponsive, and, well, that simply wouldn't do.

Blue smiled at her amazing luck and got right down to it. "So, Yellow, _what _was that about your life being uninteresting…?"

In response, the blonde simply groaned and put her head on the table.

* * *

The moment the door separating the cafeteria from the hallway banged shut, Crys whirled on him. "What the hell is going on here, Gold?"

The amber-eyed boy threw his hands up in defense. "I'm asking for her help, is all!"

"You're not making any sense! How do you even _know _her?"

Gold sighed and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Okay, look. I met her yesterday just after the two of us had that blowout. She offered to give us _counseling_" – he air quoted the word – "so as to help keep our relationship stable."

Crystal crossed her arms and chewed on her lip. "Fair enough. But why take her up on this offer? Weren't you saying just last night that you like our relationship just the way it is?"

That had been a necessary white lie. Somehow, he didn't think being told he'd rather keep his limbs intact wouldn't go over well with the girl.

"Weren't _you _just saying last night that our relationship is dysfunctional?" He scowled, then. "Damn, I'm getting sick of that word. Isn't there any other way to describe a slightly unusual relationship?"

"Terminally insane?" Crys cracked in response.

Gold chuckled at that. "We're getting off topic here. My point is, you're right. The way we're conducting this relationship is —" he started to say _dangerous to my health_, but quickly amended it, "— not healthy. So I figured, why not give this girl a try? Maybe she can help, maybe she can't, but we don't have anything to lose, so…"

She jutted her lower lip out and pouted. "I don't know… I mean, why does she want to help us, anyway? She doesn't know us, and it just seems too weird. Besides, I really don't like the idea of laying our relationship out on the table for some stranger to nitpick at."

A roll of golden eyes. "True, I don't really know her well, but from what I've seen, she seems to be an honest to goodness saint. She's helping because, from the bottom of her heart, she _wants _to. Don't ask me why; I don't know. She's got her own goody-two-shoes prerogative. If she thinks she can mend this broken relationship, then I say let her."

Crystal squirmed uncomfortably. "I still don't like the sound of this… do you really want to get _relationship counseling_, especially from a random student?"

Gold sighed, muttering _Difficult woman_, before clasping her hands in his own. "Crystal. I care about you. I'm _doing_ this for you – for us. I know it seems a bit too personal for a stranger to get involved, but I think it's for the best. Do you trust me?"

Blue eyes met gold, and she squeezed his hands in reluctant consent. "Okay."

* * *

By the time the two made it back to the lunchroom, Blue had long since abandoned her attempts to poke fun at the blonde – it's hard to do anything to a statue. Yellow hadn't moved a muscle, staring morosely at her cold food.

"So you're childhood friends?"

Red's inquiry was met with a beaming grin. "Yep! I've known Silver here from even before I met you two boys!"

Green raised an eyebrow. "Has there ever been a time in your life when you haven't had a boy to torture?"

Red laughed at that. "Probably not."

The girl sulked and mocked offense, sticking her tongue out at them. Silver gave a small smile, happy to know that she had made such good friends, and waved at the returning couple.

Noting their return herself, Yellow pulled herself up and gave them a smile – though it was obvious how strained it was.

Not one to beat around the bush, Gold started right in, "We accept your offer, for real this time."

Crystal, ever the voice of reason, continued, "Yes. But… how exactly do you plan to 'counsel' us?" She, too, air quoted the word – clearly her beau was influencing her more than she let on.

The blonde frowned. "Um… I haven't thought that far yet. I guess… professionally?"

Everyone else at least covered a snort of amusement - if not outright laughed - at her unhelpful answer, but the only indication of glee on the onyx haired girl's face was the slightest quirk of her lips. "I… see. Would you mind expanding on that a bit?"

Yellow blushed in humiliation. "Um, well… find a time when all three of us are available and then hold a session in an empty classroom…?" she ventured.

The couple shared a glance and Gold admitted, "It's not a bad idea."

Crystal sighed, shaking her head slightly, but accepted it. "It'll have to do. We've both got a free period after lunch, and from what I've been told you met Gold at such a time, so you do, too…?"

"Only on Tuesdays and Thursdays," the blonde said.

It was at that point that the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

The whole group was shocked. No one had touched their food at all, and truthfully it had seemed as if time had stopped to allow the flood of events to pass.

The three eldest left swiftly, shouting goodbyes as they left.

Yellow hurried on, rushed. "I have class now, so… I guess you'll call me?"

Before the person who actually had her number – namely, Gold – could speak up, Crys responded, "No, you're the one setting things up." She pulled a pen out of her pocket and handed it to the rushed blonde. "Give me your hand."

Perplexed, Yellow did as she was told, and the taller girl scribbled her number down as quickly as she could. That done, she gave a small bow to the two – missing their incredulous expressions at her doing such a thing – and ran off, shouting her own goodbyes.

"I'll call as soon as I've secured a room!"

The remaining two – actually, three; Silver was still sitting quietly at the table, observing everything from the sidelines – stayed there awkwardly.

Gold cleared his throat nervously. "So…"

The pigtailed girl responded, "So?"

Silver sighed, while the other two shuffled around without any true purpose. A very clearly awkward silence fell over the trio, and he surprised them by being the one to break it, asking the pointless yet necessary question Gold had felt compelled to ask.

"Now what?"

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a relative blur, at least for Yellow. All too soon she found her last class to be ending, and as she gathered her assorted books and supplies she thanked her luck that this particular class was so close to the one she was going to detour from the dorms for.

Ten minutes later she stood outside the door to her first class of the day. She could hear Professor Lance shuffling around inside, and knew he was alone. His last class had just ended – how coincidental that his schedule ended with hers.

Five minutes later she was still standing outside his door, not knowing how to go about what asking she wanted.

Two minutes later she convinced herself that she'd knock… as soon as she gathered the courage.

Three minutes later she had steeled herself and her hand was slowly but surely making the journey to meet wood.

The door opened before she'd even touched it, and she drew back sharply. Lance stared at her, unimpressed. "I don't have all day to wait around for you to knock, you know."

She let out a small _Eep! _of fright, and then blushed as his words sunk in. "P-professor! How long did you know I was out here?"

He gave her a sardonic look. "Long enough. Was there something you wanted, Miss Grove, or was my door just quite fascinating?"

Yellow was sure her face was going to be permanently stained red after today – how many hours can one spend blushing? "W-well…" _No sense puttering about. Be direct now. _"You don't have a class right after lunch, right?"

Lance raised an eyebrow. "That's correct. But what does it matter?"

Now came the difficult part. She still firmly believed that he was a nice guy, but that didn't mean he wasn't intimidating…

"W-well, I was hoping I could use your room on Tuesdays and Thursdays for…" _I can't tell him that's it's so I can be a relationship counselor! Heck it sounds insane, even to me! _"…a project. Yeah. A project!"

And in a way, she wasn't even lying. Helping those two _was _a project… in a sense.

He put a finger to his chin and appeared to think about it. "Hmm… well, I suppose as long as you're quiet I could put up with you."

And that was when Yellow realized that there had been a terrible misunderstanding.

"No! You can't —" she bit down on her lip, hard, to keep from talking. _I can't tell him he can't be in his own room! I've got no right! To even think of kicking him out is absurd._

"Can't what?"

He frowned down suspiciously at her, and she looked at her feet, unable to meet his eyes. _But… there's no way that I can hold those sessions with him there. He'd never approve, and even if he __**did**__, there's no way the people I'm helping would! It's bad enough that they'll be pouring their hearts out to me, but to a __**teacher?**__ There's just no way!_

"Speak, Miss Grove. Finish what you've started."

She flinched at the impatience in his voice. "I mean… I need to have your room… without you… in it," she finished lamely, fully aware that it was a completely ridiculous request and that she would be shot down instantly.

"Are you honestly asking that I just _lend _you my room?"

Yellow looked up at him, chewing her lip worriedly – she was vaguely aware that somewhere along the line she had bitten it so fiercely that it was bleeding lightly. The bitter tang tasted horrible.

She gave him a small, hopeful smile. "…Yes?"

He must have stared at her in disbelief for at least a full minute before sighing and whirling back into the cause of all this debate – that is, he went back into the classroom. The blonde followed him cautiously.

"Asking for me to vacate my own room twice a week is a bit extreme," he finally muttered.

Her jaw dropped. _Does that mean… _"Sir? Are you really going to let me borrow your room?"

His back was still turned to her. "I suppose. But only _once _a week. Not twice. Either Tuesday or Thursday, pick one."

She gave his back a million watt smile and resisted the temptation to hug him. One, that would be highly inappropriate, and two, she had a snaking feeling doing so would cause him to retract his most generous offer. "Thank you so much, Professor! Really, thank you! And, um, either day is fine, really."

He sighed. "Tuesday, then. Be in just after lunch, and I'll already be gone. Leave _before _the bell rings, as I need to be settled and here before the students arrive. Are we clear?"

She bowed gratefully to his back – he was still turned away, rummaging through his desk – and exclaimed, "Of course! And thank you again! I'll see you Monday!"

Of course, before she'd even gotten five feet away, he called her back. "Miss Grove!"

"Eh? Yes, Professor?"

"Class today… it was unusually quiet. Why?"

Yellow smiled. "I thought you liked it being quiet?"

"Don't misunderstand. I'm thankful that today went so peacefully, but not so moronic as to assume it will stay that way. I'm simply wondering what has put everyone in such a somber disposition."

She realized then that he was honestly confused, and frowned. "You really don't know? Did you not see the news? Team Rocket has got everyone worried."

He perked up at that, eyeing her intently. "Team Rocket? What about them?"

"They've… taken over Saffron City, sir."

Not one to casually display emotions, even Lance couldn't hide his shock. "Saffron City? They're so close…"

Again, Yellow bit her lip – she was beginning to develop a habit, and if the blood was any indication, it was a bad one. "Is everything okay?"

But he waved her away. "It's fine. You're dismissed."

_The look on your face says things are far from fine… _The blonde nodded, uncertain and unhappy to end things like that, but obeyed.

* * *

"You're late." Blue cast a curious gaze on her roommate, who didn't really answer, just nodded. The blonde yawned and stretched, and that was when she saw it – scrawled across her palm so obviously, just waiting to be commented on; and to make the moment sweeter, she _could _comment on it! Repeatedly! She could gossip about Yellow as much as she wanted.

"_Ooh_! Is that a _phone number_? A _boy's _phone number? Why Yellow, I had no idea that you'd gotten over Red! Why didn't you tell me?"

A ring of truth was in there among playful teasing, but the brunette squashed it and shoved it to the farthest corner of her mind.

As expected, the blonde blushed _again_, and shook her head quickly, going into denial. "No, no! This isn't what it looks like! It's not even a boy's number!"

Blue was disappointed, but not surprised. Still, she had to poke fun. "Switching teams, are you?"

In response, Yellow let out a very put-upon sigh. "_No_, I am _not_. It's how I'm going to contact those two people I'm helping."

The elder girl yawned. "Oh, well that's boring. I'm gonna go take a shower."

The blonde recalled, then, that she had secured a room, and dove for her phone. _Hopefully the number didn't get smudgy…_

One ring. Then another. Then–

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's, um, Yellow."

"…I'm sorry, who?"

The confusion was evident in the girl's voice, and she realized then that they had never actually introduced themselves. "Yellow. I'm the girl from lunch that you and your boyfriend are getting counseling from?"

Unlike the others, she said the word with a straight face.

"Oh! I didn't expect a call from you so soon! Does this mean you've managed to get ahold of a room?"

She smiled. "Actually, yes… If you two are up to it we can meet as soon as…"

* * *

AN- That is not a cliffhanger. I trailed off in a way that you're supposed to imagine the conversation continuing. So yeah. Hopefully you all are glad for an update, even though it sucks in my own opinion. It STARTED good, but just kind of deteriorated in quality as it went… Part of the problem might be that I rushed to finish it, wanting to have updated at least one more fic before June ends... Reviews are appreciated!


	8. Out On the Town

AN – I am _so sorry_ about not writing this in… well, forever. I'd like a reasonable excuse, like saying I'm just totally swamped with college stuff, but that's not really the case. I mean, yeah, I'm busy with applications and all that jazz, but the real time consumer, the one that sucked up my entire summer… is Homestuck (if you know what it is; sympathize with me. If you don't, get away while you still can). It basically just sucked me in and won't spit me back out. I had this chapter halfway done for the longest time, and considered posting it short as was, but decided against it.

* * *

**Out on the Town**

"Tell me again…" a frustrated Gold started the next day, pacing to keep up with his girlfriend, "…why are we doing this?"

Crystal sighed and ran a hand through her hair – she'd left it down for once, though she had a nagging suspicion that it would probably end up in its ubiquitous twin tails by the end of the day. "Because…" she ground out, "…while _you_ may be fine with entrusting our relationship to a stranger, _I_ am not. If you really expect me to go through with this, I need… I need to _know _her, at least a little bit. Okay…?"

Gold crossed his arms and sulked quietly, unable to argue such a point.

Beside him, Silver rolled his eyes and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "He's just mad that you're making him waste his Saturday on this."

Crys giggled lightly and elbowed her grumbling beau lightly in the side. "Well, too bad. His big bad, mean girlfriend is forcing him to wake up early for a change."

They were right – if the young man had had his way, he'd be sleeping until _at least _ten. But to tell the two that would be incredibly stupid; at least they were in good moods for a change, and he'd rather not risk bringing them down with him.

So Gold, subtle, tactful genius that he is, changed the subject abruptly. Turning to the female of the trio, he whined, "Why is Silver coming along anyway, then? It's just between us and Blondie, after all…"

"She has a name," Crys reprimanded.

He sighed in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. _Yellow_. But that still doesn't answer my question!"

Casting an annoyed glance his way, she said airily, "I thought I'd make it a group outing, is all."

"Huh?"

Silver stepped in between the two and offered his two cents. "Not just our group, but also theirs. We're _all _meeting today. Just… getting to know each other. Right?"

Fingering one of the hair bands on her wrist, Crystal smiled and nodded, glad that at least _one _of the boys understood.

Gold scratched his head in confusion. "But _why?_ I get that you want to properly meet Blon – _Yellow,_ but why have us meet the whole gang? What's the point?"

The dark haired girl exhaled loudly and began snapping the band on her wrist. "Because, Gold, think about it – we'll be in contact with Yellow a lot, so odds are, we'll probably just end up moving over there for lunch. In which case, wouldn't it be so much easier if we already knew those we'll be sitting with?"

And her boyfriend, lovable, idiotic, _infuriating _person that he is, stared in incomprehension. "That's stupid. Did I really have to wake up for _this?_"

She was so putting her hair up after this.

* * *

"…And that's why you _have _to be on your best behavior and make good impressions, okay?" Blue finished, finger pointing accusingly at the two dumbstruck boys before her.

Green frowned, unimpressed, and crossed his arms. "We didn't need you to tell us that. We're not stupid; of course we know not to mess things up." Saying this, he shot a sidelong look at the fourth member of their party, who was currently off in her own little world, fretting and wearing circles in the ground with her pacing back and forth.

The girl huffed and resisted the urge to shake the man by his shoulders. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! You _cannot _be so anti-social around them, got it? At least _try _to make an effort at participation!"

Red recovered from the daze the speech had put him in and inquired, "Why is it so important to you, anyway? I mean, I get why Yellow's freaking out," at this all three chanced another glance at the girl, who had moved past simple nerves and was onto straightening her perfectly ironed clothes and messing with her clean, straight hair, worrying that they might not like her, "…but what's got you in such a fit?"

Blue rolled her eyes and huffed, "What, I'm not allowed to worry for Yellow's sake?"

The black-haired boy gave her a pointed look. "Well, yeah, there's that, but there's more to it… isn't there?"

She fought the urge to squirm under his gaze, cursing him for doing this to her. _Honestly, that man! One minute he doesn't seem to understand me at all, and the next he's giving me that __**look**__, as if he sees right through me!_

And under such intense scrutiny, she felt her cheeks heat up. Seeking to break eye contact, she turned sharply – this also had the added benefit of not allowing the infuriating boy to see her face, which was inexcusably red – and gathered her wits before hesitantly confiding, "…It's Silver, okay? He's one of my _best friends_. I've known him since I was _five_, and… and I just want you all to get along, alright? I don't want my friends to dislike each other…"

Even Yellow stopped worrying long enough to come up and give the girl a short, compassionate hug – embarrassing Blue to no end.

When she finally built up the nerve to turn around and face the boys, they both smiled – albeit Green only with his eyes. Red was giving her this _look_, one that seemed to say, "I understand" and "That's sweet" and "You're great" and… _Shut up, brain!_

Red conceded, "We'll be on our best behavior, okay? I promise. For you and Yellow both."

Blue smiled back before looking up at the sky, unable to keep looking at the boy as long as he had that _look_ in his eyes. "That's all I ask."

Green simply watched the two, intrigued and suspecting more than ever due to the unpredictable girl's behavior.

And if he chose not to act any differently towards the newcomers by attempting to make nice and socialize, well… he'd made no promises.

* * *

They had all planned to meet at one of many restaurants in town (they chose the only one that happened to have a buffet, thinking that this way even the pickier eaters would find something to eat).

The colorful quartet arrived first, Blue in the lead, Yellow still fretting terribly, and occupied a large table with room to accommodate the newcomers.

When the trio arrived, Blue again took charge of the situation, standing and waving them over to the table. She gave Silver a smile as he sat down beside her, and he briefly returned it, giving her a curt nod.

Crystal greeted the blonde with a small smile, noting how worried the girl appeared, and hesitantly took a seat beside her. Gold slouched into his seat at the end of the table, unaware (or more likely, uncaring) of the stiff atmosphere.

Red sat up straighter in his seat and glanced around awkwardly at the group. "So…"

Crystal perked up and latched onto his utterance in the hope of distilling the tense feeling in the air. "So?"

He stared at her a moment before recovering and muttering, "Uh. O-okay! So, I'm Red, and the girl next to me is Blue. The guy staring holes into the tablecloth is Green. And of course you already know Yellow."

She gave a strained smile, thinking, _not really…_ and said, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Crystal, the guy slumped into his chair— " here she paused to send the aforementioned boy a chastising glare "—is Gold, and the guy sitting next to your friend is Silver."

Red returned the simple courtesies, and the table promptly fell into silence once more. Blue and Silver whispered amongst themselves as the rest of the gang sat glancing at everyone else awkwardly.

Yellow finally gathered up the courage to say something, and looked to the girl beside her and stuttered, "U-um… maybe we should tell each other a bit about ourselves? Would that lighten the mood a little?"

Crystal gave her a relieved smile. "It certainly couldn't hurt. Okay, I'll start. Like I said, my name's Crystal, but my friends usually call me Crys. I grew up in Violet City. I met Gold and Silver when I was about… ten? I don't remember, really; it seems like they've always been there in my memories. Anyway… I'm a straight-A student, and I spend my summers doing volunteer work at the orphanage in town."

Blue tuned in to let out an appreciative whistle. "Wow. Sounds like you could give Yellow a run for her money in the whole 'I'm a perfect little angel' department. Makes me wonder how you could possibly be having relationship problems."

Red shot her a warning glance as Silver cracked, "It definitely makes it seem like Gold's the problem, right?"

The two shared the laugh of two familiar conspirators, and Gold was left spluttering in outrage.

Green sighed and rubbed at his forehead. This was going to be a long day. _But then again…_ he reconsidered, smiling as the other two girls started giggling, and even Red couldn't keep a few chuckles from escaping, _…maybe it will all work out, after all_.

Gold just continued spewing his protests in the background, an angry rabble barely heard over the group of kids cracking up.

* * *

AN - Much like most of my stuff, I just feel like it deteriorated over time. More specifically, it gets bad around the time I stopped and returned way later. _And, _this was short, _and_, it didn't get really move the plot along, _and_... I'm thinking I might go back and make some changes to previous chapters, because looking back, I feel as if their quality isn't great, either (this is how I am; I like something enough to post it, but then immediately feel that it is horrible. It's a curse, I tell you!). I honestly have no idea how much time it will take for me to update this, but I'm not giving up on it just yet. Sorry again for the wait, and thanks so much for all the continued support! It really does help motivate me to keep going!


End file.
